Category Archives: Android

Chrome Web Browser on the Sony Xperia Z Tablet – tip

Android, Tech News,

When you power up your new Xperia Z Tablet it only comes with one web browser, and that is Chrome. I make the point of one web browser as it seems many new phones or tablets on android come with 2 options. Anyway, chrome is very good on the tablet but there is a much better option. And that is Chrome Beta.

Using the beta version is so much better. Scrolling becomes silky smooth and fast, and full screen occurs now. These 2 improvements make it a strong recommendation to install.

You can find Chrome Beta in the Play Store.

Further news on the HTC One 4.2.2 update

Android, Tech News,

A few days ago I reported the 4.2.2 HTC One update had started. Well this morning users in Taiwan have started receiving over the air this massive update.

If you want to refresh yourself on all the goodies, please click here and read my earlier post.

The rest of the world will follow soon. It is so worth the wait.

Twitter $10 billion IPO approaches

Android, Apple, Tech News, Windows

Twitter over the last year or so has started to reign in its business and prevent third party twitter apps from being developed. And there was good reason for this. It needed control of its business and the potential revenue to follow.

So with the IPO set at $10 billion that’s a substantial number and assuming the IPO succeeds monetary returns are going to be expected.

So what could this do to twitter ? You could see an increase in advertising, selling and maybe a small charge to use service. Perhaps, different tiers that offer different levels of services and access.

So how would you feel about see more advertising between your tweets or even paying for the service?

Google vs Apple – the battle is just starting

Android, Tech News

There have been many court cases involving manufacturers using Google’s android operating system vs Apple. The highest profile case is that with Samsung. Well it looks like the battlefield is about to really engage with new product releases.

The Wall Street Journal has issued a report that detailed several new hardware products that Google has in the pipeline in order to match rumoured upcoming hardware offerings from Apple, from TV’s,  game consoles , low cost devices for emerging markets,  new phones from their owned Motorola company and wearable tech. Also expect android to appear in your kitchen appliances.

So as they say, it’s game on.

Sony’s Flagship Honami smartphone is due to be launched on 4th July – details

Android, Tech News

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Images released by Just Another Mobile Blog are meant to be of Sony’s upcoming flagship. The latest rumours back up my previous post detailing the full mind blowing specifications.

These include a 5-inch full HD display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and a non-removable battery 3,000 mAh, a 20-megapixel rear camera with a Cybershot CMOS sensor and Carl Zeiss lens, textured backplate and aluminium frame. The audio will feature Sony’s S Master amp.

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And this is due to be launched on 4th July.  I’m really looking forward to this phone. Decent camera and audio, decent memory too.

Did you buy a Samsung Galaxy S4? A new model is released that addresses the hardware faults of the first – read on

Android, Tech News

That’s right, in Samsung’s home market it has just released a new S4. Of course to get around you not feeling ripped off, Samsung are calling it the S4 Advanced. Yeah right!

So this new model has a Snapdragon 800 chip that can handle more LTE networks and runs at a  faster speed, hence reducing lag. If I recall, Samsung was meant to have had its own chip that did all this in the original S4 but Samsung had problems with it. So now to address the lag they will be using a faster chip. Nothing else on the hardware front is new apart from the internal memory.

If you recall, the S4 was released in the UK and most parts of the world as a 16gb phone, that only had 8-9gb free memory. What followed was anger from users and more. Everyone agreed the S4 should have been 32gb internal memory as a minimum. Well guess what? This version is being released with 32gb.

I’m not sure how I would feel if I had bought the original S4,  but I wouldn’t have been too happy.

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HTC One and the Google Edition Camera software

Android, Tech News

If you own the HTC One or Samsung S4, Google has released via their US store only both these phones but in pure Google android. This means no sense or touchwiz. What this also means is that hackers extract various parts so you can install them on your normal devices. And that’s what I did. I installed the new live wallpaper sunbeam. This looks rather good. But what was of real interest was the Google Play editions camera app and gallery app. Would the camera app take better photos than the HTC app. The answer is no it doesn’t. Below are 4 photos taken around 7pm. In both shots the HTC camera app does a much better job. For the record I am running the new 4.2.2 update on my HTC One.

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The above was taken with the HTC camera app and below with the Google app.

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Same again. First HTC and then Google app.

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So do you agree the HTC Camera app does a better job?

Photos taken of Tavistock High Street, Devon.

Create a 60 second video highlight on the HTC One

Android, Tech News,

The HTC One has a marvellous feature whereby it automatically creates a 30s video highlight of an event. But what if you want a 60 second video.

Go to the event in the gallery app. Long press on the event, select split and select half of the items. Give the event the same name but just add 2 after the second one. Now you will have 2 events of the same event both of which will get it’s own video highlight.

If you want to combine an event, long press the new event and select merge.

It’s as simple as that.

HTC One 4.2.2 update is released

Android, Tech News,

If you have the HTC One, HTC has started rolling out the 4.2.2 update. And it’s a big update, including several optimizations and bug fixes. The touch sensitivity has been improved a lot.

One of the biggest changes it brings is the new file format for Zoe, which makes for a much better file management tactic. No longer does dropbox upload 20 photos for every Zoe. And it goes without saying that this update also brings all of the usual Android 4.2.2 features, such as Google Now, Daydream, Gesture Typing, and expandable, actionable notifications.

The full changelog can be seen below:

System

Android 4.2.2
Launcher bar enhancement
Widget panel rearrangement
New Lock screen style: Widget
Enhanced Home button behavior
Add Home button options to make navigation menu bar removable

Power

Show battery level in status bar
Notifications

Quick settings panel: 12 default settings by new touch gesture

Gallery/Camera

AE/AF lock feature: Lock Exposure/Focus at viewfinder screen
Zoe:New Zoe file format for better file management
Video Highlights: Add 6 more themes

Music

Music channel: Add seek, fast/back forward functions to enhance user experience

I am running this update already, and am really pleased with the extra features and software fixes and enhancements.

Finally the S4 is becoming available in 32gb internal memory

Android, Tech News,

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been only available as a 16gb internal memory plus micro sd card for most of the world. But the 16gb model only had 9gb free, less in the US. And despite various workarounds which involve voiding your warranty, nothing beats installing apps in the main internal memory. It is more reliable and faster.

Well finally, the alleged 32gb 9505 quad core version is available for $299 from Verizon today and if you are in Europe the white 32gb can be order from this German retailer.

If Samsung had released this properly at launch with the 16gb, I most likely would have had one, but now I have had time to enjoy the HTC One so much so that I won’t change it for the S4.

This is for two reasons. In the Tech World,  3 plus months later is a long time and new and better products get launched. Even from Samsung themselves. More about that tomorrow.

Update.

The German retailer now has the black version in stock. If you call they do speak English.